Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada - June 18, 2022 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc during practice REUTERS/Chris Helgren
MONTREAL (Reuters) - Ferrari title contender Charles Leclerc will start from the back of the grid in Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix after picking up more penalties on Saturday for exceeding his power unit allocation.
The drop is a further blow to his hopes of reeling in Red Bull's championship leader Max Verstappen, who was fastest in Friday practice at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The governing FIA said Ferrari had used a fourth internal combustion engine, one more than the rules allow for the whole season.
He had already used one too many control electronics in Friday's practice, triggering an automatic 10-place drop for the first breach.
Ferrari also added another turbocharger, Leclerc's fourth of the campaign when only three are allowed without penalty, with further breaches for additional motor generator units.
Leclerc has retired due to power unit problems in two of the past three races while leading, despite starting from pole position in the last four rounds.
He has plunged from championship frontrunner after three races to third overall, 34 points adrift of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, after eight of 22 rounds.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
